The Skyline Distance Fiesta is set for Saturday with more than 30 schools and nearly 600 athletes set to compete in this DyeStatCal featured meet for distance runners.

Two special edition T-shirts are up for grabs in every race (four in the fast heat) and a special sombrero to the fastest time of the day in each event can make for some great opportunities to set personal records. No Skyline track stadium record is safe.

Clara Peterson (formerly Horowitz) will be the special sombrero presenter, awarding the sombreros to runners with the fastest time in each event. While competing at Head Royce School, she won three consecutive Division V State Cross Country Championships from 1999-2001 as well as winning the 3200 meters Track State Championship in 2002. She went on to have a fantastic career at Duke University, winning the 2003 U.S. Junior Cross Country Championship and being a five-time All-American.

The following is a breakdown of the events:

Girls 1600: With the first prize sombrero on the line, Carondelet’s Nicole Hood (fourth place in Division II Cross Country State Champioships) is a heavy favorite. With an outstanding 4:53.25 performance last spring, she has a strong chance of being the first girl to break five minutes on the five-year old track at Skyline. But she won’t be the only one up front. Lowell’s Tamara Papura (5:05.68) brings some great speed and will be able to hang around for a kick. The Curtin twins from Maria Carrillo, Cara and Lauren, Hood’s teammate Ashley Chavez and Half Moon Bay’s Sammy Hamilton all bring sub 5:17 efforts to battle for the prized T-shirts.

Boys 1600: Not one but two cross country state champions are featured in this race — Division III champ James Attarian from Dublin and Division II champ James Tracy from Del Campo. Attarian brings a 4:17.87 personal record to the track and will look to be the first boy to break 4:20 at Skyline. Not to be overlooked, however, is Piedmont Hills’ Darius Terry, who boasts a 4:21.81 from 2007. Skyline’s Ryan Purcell (4:24.07) will look to defend his brother Sean’s record but will have to fend off not only Attarian, Tracy, and Terry, but three other sub 4:30 milers — Lowell’s Walker Weir (4:25.60), De La Salle’s Will Forrester (4:26.20), and Petaluma’s Devin Lockert (4:28.64). Some dark horses also in the mix for a T-shirt are Del Campo’s Dan Mitchell, Hayward’s Bizrat Zerehaimanot, Novato’s Erik Olson and South Fork’s Hank Carl.

Girls 800: Tamara Purpura from Lowell will be doing double duty and trying to bring home another T-shirt. Her 2:15.57 PR is not far off the track record set only two weeks ago. Joining her on the double will be Cara and Lauren Curtin from Maria Carrillo as well as Ashley Chavez from Carondelet, which all carry sub 2:24s in their bag. Two other runners with good wheels will also be vying for T-shirts — Castilleja’s Libby Cooper (2:20.99), who is coached by former Stanford star Amanda Trotter, and Piedmont Hill’s Kristina Llorin (2:25.83).

Boys 800 If James Attarian is going to set two track records, he is going to have earned every penny of it. Sebastian Sam of Oak Grove is the top returnee from last year’s State Track and Field Championships, having taken fourth. He is currently ranked No. 2 in the state and has a PR of 1:53.79. They are not the only ones with sub 2 minute 800s — Oran Arms from Junipero Serra carries that as well and Skyline’s Sean Purcell, Oakland Technical’s George Dick and Lowell’s Walker Weir will also be in the mix for the coveted T-shirts.

Girls 3200: Livermore’s Diana George looks to be the favorite and also the first girl to break 11 minutes on the Skyline track. Her 10:35.55 was good for fifth at last year’s state meet. The field after her, though, will not shy away from good competition — Carondelet’s Heather Cerney (11:10.97) and Kellie Houser (11:15.24), Skyline’s Amy Cordisco (11:14.84), Maria Carrillo’s Kelly O’Leary (11:23.18), San Rafael’s Kelsey Ripp (11:23.33) and Petaluma’s Kelly Lucchesi (11:36.31) all will be in the thick of it.

Boys 3200: Much like Attarian, James Tracy has a tough group to double back against. Tracy’s 9:18.43 PR is outstanding but Petaluma’s Sterling Lockert (9:23.55) and Dublin’s Jeremy Grace (eighth in state in Division III cross country) will give him a run for his money. Skyline’s Andrew Sylvester (9:39.70), Del Campo’s Dan Mitchell and De La Salle’s Eric Johnson will also be battling it out for the T-shirts.

Girls Distance Medley Relay: Three of the top 20 teams in the state will be gutting it out for the distance medley championship plaque. Livermore (12:44.57) currently is ranked No. 2 in the state, followed close behind by Half Moon Bay (13:13.70, 17th in state) and Skyline (13:17.90, 19th in state), who just had a heated battle at last week’s San Rafael Twilight Relays with it coming down to the last 200 meters. Another team that will be up in the front will be Monte Vista. This record looks sure to fall – hard.

Boys Distance Medley Relay: Fresh off their state ranking No. 4 performance, losing only to state leader Petaluma at the San Rafael Twilight Relays, will be the hosts Skyline (10:44.2). Not far behind them will be 20th ranked Monte Vista (10:59.66) as well as De La Salle and Novato. Many of these runners will be doubling back, which could make for some heroic performances.

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